The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-05-31
II H f
THE CANADIAN STEAMSHIP ILLUSION.

THE CANADIAN STEAMSHIP ILLUSION.
The ADVERTISER yesterday said the
Pacific cable project was in allegiance.
Some of our sanguine friends, who ac-
cept every exploiting feeler as the com
pletion of great enterprise, took us to
task for doubling what the Canadian
Pacific was going to do in the way OF
cable connection for this Kingdom.
Being somewhat better posted than our
friends, and having learned to discrimi-
nate between promoters circular and
the report of a Board of Directors cover
ing balance sheet, we adhere to our
statement that the Pacific Gable project
is in allegiance. Nay further, at latest
advices We are assured that it had not
entered into the region of possible bust
ness realization. This is not saying,
however, that conditions may not change
and that it may not be successfully in
augurated. But of this there is at pres
ent no satisfactory indication.
Furthermore, we are afraid that we
SO certainly count upon the opening Of
the Canadian Pacific steamship line to
Australia as the triumph OF their port
over Honolulu. If such a steamship
line is ever established it will be when
the present generation has passed away
and the Hilo- Hamakua Railroad is pay
ing monthly dividends The truth is,
the Canadian-Pacifc from it's inception
has not been commercial enterprise.
1t is the product of State monopoly, ex-
cessive subsidies and elastic privileges
Knowing that the colonies of New Zea-
land and New South Wales maintain a
steamship line between Sydney and
San Francisco, by way of Auckland and
Honolulu, the Canadian Pacific pro-
motors conceived the idea of securing
an adequate subvention from the Brit
ish, Dominion and Australasian Gov
ernments to run an opposing line of
steamships from nowhere to nowhere,
touching at nowhere, that is from Van
couver city on Burrard's Inlet to Bris-
bane in Queensland, making some Fiji
harbor an intermediate port of call.
A strong lobby was formed and the
case for the Dominion exploiters
was presented with great skill on
the sentimental side of Imperial
unity, but nothing came of it
91OO, 1000 ($5OO, OOO) year was asked for
this subsidy. The China route was next
tried, and although the subsidy asked
for was much less than that for steam
postal service between Vancouver and
Brisbane via Honolulu, the practical
men who manage public affairs in Eng
land were not to be seduced from their
settled policy OF aiding the Eastern route,
as the following record of recent Parlia-
mentary proceedings show:
In the House of Lords, the Earl of Har-
rowby asked for information respecting
the decision of the Government on the
esta blish a line of mail steamers between
Vancouver City and China.
The Earl Of Onslow, Parliamentary
Secretary of the Colonial Office, replied
that the committee to which the matter
was referred had declined to recommend a
subsidy of $4,000 0,000) for the proposed
service of steamer every three weeks.
The Pacific cable was to be carried on
the shoulders of these steam postal pro-
ects. As it is now very evident that the
British Imperial Government will not
agree to pay any subsidy for postal pur-
poses and to develop trade in the
Pacific, it follows that the cable idea has
lot arrived at the point of projection, as
llchemists might say. Canadian steam
hips, competing with the Oceanic line,
nay visit this port or Hilo, but their
Idvent need not be looked for soon. We
ire inclined to think that the Oceanic
Company has satisfied all reasonable re-
luirements, and that the contracting
Governments are quite satisfied with its
performance 1t is admittedly a better
ervice than the P and 0. Company
,royides, although the latter has had
Indian and Colonial subsidies
Or many years, and if the Government
nd people of these Islands sustain the
oceanic line as they should do, it
Fill perfect such an international ser
ice as must defy competition. Mean
Thile, no one should be led astray by
Canadian acknowledgment illusion.